It was only the second day of their voyage and already Mary Ann was having trouble remembering what normal life was like. There were moments when it felt like she'd always been here in the canoe, out on the ocean with no landmark in sight, with no other company but Gilligan. She imagined it would've been a very lonely journey for one person, but there were definite complications when it was two.
For one thing, well, it was embarrassing even to think about, let alone talk about, but there was the problem of relieving herself. The Skipper had provided them with a bedpan, but there wasn't much privacy to use it. She and Gilligan had fallen into the habit of signalling the other when they had to go, and the other person would cover his or her ears and close his or her eyes for a few minutes. Mary Ann would wish again and again that they were in a hotel suite, or even back on the island, where she could just use the ladies' outhouse.
She didn't know how she would manage it when her period came, but hopefully they would be rescued long before then. The idea of drifting forever with Gilligan had been a very romantic one the night before, yet these practical details had to be considered. Even brushing her teeth in front of Gilligan made her feel self-conscious, but it seemed silly to ask for privacy for that.
There was also the question of sleepwear. Back on the island, she slept in just panties and one of the Professor's old shirts, which was still more than Ginger slept in. (It had been very shocking at first, when she found out that the actress slept in the nude, although she was used to it by now.) Had this been a real honeymoon, Mary Ann might've slept in a negligee, one that Ginger or Mrs. Howell had given her. (She'd left the trousseau behind of course, but it could presumably be picked up by whoever rescued their friends and their belongings.) But she felt too shy to wear anything revealing with Gilligan in the canoe. And he was sleeping in his clothes, like he had on the island, even down to his white tennis shoes.
She was wearing the same outfit she'd worn the day before. At some point they would have to change their clothes. As for bathing, she supposed they'd have to do that in the ocean. Perhaps that was why Gilligan had taken his early morning dip, even if it was fully clothed.
She couldn't help thinking how much easier all this would've been if they were an old married couple like the Howells. Well, maybe not the Howells, since rich people were different and probably never quite relaxed around each other. But like her Uncle George and Aunt Martha. George would burp at the dinner table, and Martha would scold him, but also take it as a compliment to her cooking. If they'd been sent out in the canoe together, they wouldn't have felt the slightest bit shy or self-conscious.
If Mary Ann had thought this through more, if she hadn't been swept along by the plans of the others, she would've put her foot down. She wouldn't have gone on this voyage at all, married or not. It was unfair of the others to expect her and Gilligan to live so intimately. Compared to all these possibilities for embarrassment, the physical labor of paddling a canoe, sometimes under the hot sun, was nothing.
Well, it was too late now. She was here and there was no going back, unless she asked Gilligan to turn the canoe around and take her home. And she couldn't do that. Her friends were depending on her. And the men would probably think it proved something about women not being able to do a man's job, when in fact she'd probably be more comfortable paddling the canoe by herself.
No, that would be too lonely. Better to risk some humiliation than to make this journey by herself. And it wasn't as if she and Gilligan were strangers. Yes, he was a man and she was a woman, but he understood her dilemma and seemed to feel the same. They would get through this, together.
After all, they had made a lifetime commitment, for better or for worse. It wasn't a commitment that either of them had expected to make a week before, but they had made it. And certainly other couples had faced greater struggles than this. Look at her parents, with her father bankrupted by a man he trusted! Compared to that, having to tinkle in front of Gilligan was nothing.
They'd been paddling in silence for what felt like hours, when he said, "Do you want to take a nap while I fish?"
She nodded. She could use a break. "Thank you." She lay down, using only the lower bed-roll, since the day was warm. "And then you can nap while I cook, I mean prepare, whatever you catch."
"What if I catch an old boot?" he joked.
She laughed. "Well, that would provide us with protein."
He smiled. "Or I could catch another canoe. That would give us fiber."
She smiled back. In some ways, she couldn't think of anyone she'd rather be on this voyage with. She was still smiling when she fell asleep.